


The Beldam’s Return

by QueenAlicorn



Category: Coraline - Fandom
Genre: Based on Coraline, Battle, Button Eyes (Coraline), Canon Continuation, Canon-Typical Creepiness (Coraline), Dreaming, F/M, Falling In Love, Friendship, Friendship/Love, Love, Mystery, Pink Palace Apartments (Coraline), Rescue, Rescue Missions, Romantic Friendship, Sequel, Summer, Summer Love, Summer Romance, Summer Vacation, dream - Freeform, fight
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-04-21
Updated: 2020-11-25
Packaged: 2021-02-28 06:41:21
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 8
Words: 11,273
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22869520
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/QueenAlicorn/pseuds/QueenAlicorn
Summary: Google defines the word 'Beldam' as 'a malicious and ugly woman, especially an old one; a witch.' With that in mind, follow Coraline on her next adventure against the other mother. But this time she may have to save her friends and the tenant(s) in the fourth apartment. With all this at stake, she may not be as lucky as she was the first time around.
Comments: 3
Kudos: 7





	1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: I do not own the movie Coraline or it's characters.

Note: There has been many debates about the differences between book and film. People pick sides and argue, and at times they even fight over trivial issues. And then there are people who have created a few theories about unanswered questions or odd scenes in movies and TV shows. I first got an idea for this story when reading the book Coraline. I was interested in the fact that the Pink Palace had a fourth apartment that hasn't been rented yet. I started to think of more ideas when I watched the movie with commentary (Like I do with all my favorite movies). Only recently I have been looking on YouTube to look at the different theories people had about Coraline. This story will have several different details from the book, movie, and theories, so if your willing to be patient with me and willing to see a different side of Coraline that you may or may not have thought about before; then I will do my best to give you an eye opening experience.

Chapter 1,

Coraline was sitting in the garden, pulling up different weeds that had infested the tulips when she heard the car pull up. Her heart raced as she heard the car doors slam and she stood up and saw her friends Harry and Marina walking up towards the house. She had waited a whole school year for this moment. So it's no surprise when she abandoned her gardening and went straight into the back entrance of the house. She ran straight into the kitchen and there they were. Marina was taking off her scarf and Harry was reaching for a hot cookie and Coraline squealed and they both turned to her.

"Troll Pile!" They all shouted and Coraline was on the ground, hugging her friends, and getting a nuggie from Harry.

"Honestly Coraline, you can become impossible when your around your friends." Coraline's mother, Mel, said but she quickly smiled when she saw how happy Coraline was to see her friends again.

"Sorry, Mrs. J, it's a troll tradition." Harry said and Mel rolled her eyes.

"Explain to me again why you call yourself trolls?" Mel asked and Coraline sat up.

"I can't." She said and her mother rose an eyebrow at her.

"Why not?" She asked.

"Because we never explained it to you. Therefore we cannot explain it to you again, that would be impossible." Coraline said and Mel sighed and rubbed the bridge of her nose.

"This is going to be a long summer. Where is your father?" Her mother asked and Coraline paused.

"Uh, he was in the garden with me, but... he went inside for some reason. I think he got a call." Coraline said unsure and Mel walked away. Coraline noticed that her mother was mumbling, she thought she even heard the word 'useless', but she smiled when she looked at her friends.

"I see that dragon lady hasn't really changed." Harry said and Marina giggled.

"Yeah, I don't know how you can deal with her, some days." Marina said and Coraline chuckled uncomfortably.

"Oh, well, she isn't the worst mother I've had. So tell me about your trip, how was it?" Coraline asked and Marina smiled.

"Oh, Coraline it was so much fun. We had this thing called turbulence, and this lady freaked out so majorly and she ended up spilling her drink over the guy next to her." Marina said.

"Yeah, and the guy was all like 'Calm down, lady, calm down.' but of course she didn't until the turbulence stopped and she felt so bad for ruining the guys shirt that she gave him like twenty dollars to either get it dry cleaned or to buy a new shirt." Harry said, obviously deepening his voice when he was pretending to be the man.

"Yeah, and they gave us food, which I didn't really eat because I kept getting these waves of nausea, so i just let Harry eat both of our meals." Marina said and Harry smiled.

"Food wasn't terrible, but ours was cold." He said.

"What did you get?" Coraline asked.

"We both got chicken." He said and Coraline made a face.

"You ate double chicken. You should have gotten chicken and fish and then tried them both." Coraline said and Harry shrugged.

"I don't remember getting a choice, but honestly I wouldn't have chosen a different path. Think about it, flying chicken of flying fish... I'm picking the one with wings, thank you very much." Harry said and Marina rolled her eyes.

"Yeah, but you barely touch seafood. I doubt that you will ever eat fish when you live by yourself." Marina said and Coraline giggled.

"Yeah, Harry, you don't even like to eat fish sticks. You only tolerate them when you have a bottle of ketchup in your hand." Coraline said.

"Even then, he could open a new bottle and polish it off before the fish sticks are gone." Marina said and Harry rolled his eyes.

"I'm not that bad." He said and the girls simply laughed at him.

"Oh, forget you. So, Coraline, what is it like to live out here." Harry asked and Coraline thought about this.

"Well, it wasn't easy when I first got here. I kept dreaming of this beautiful escape, but when the dream turned into a nightmare, I woke up and I was glad to be back. When I made up my mind about wanting to stay, I started to see the charm of this town. Granted we get lots of fog, which is why I'm glad that today the sun is shining through and we can explore a little." Coraline said and Marina's stomach started to growl.

"I don't suppose that we could get something to eat first." Marina said and Coraline smiled.

"Of course, that's why mom made cookies." Coraline said and Harry contorted his face.

"Oh, uh, your mom made those?" He asked and Coraline laughed.

"Yes, she made them and they are delicious." Coraline said in a slightly louder tone, then she leaned forward.

"Don't worry, it's just cookies that you put on a pan and bake." She whispered and Harry relaxed.

"Good, I wouldn't want my tongue to run away from me." Harry said and Marina giggled.

"Cookies sound good." Marina said in agreement and the three friends turned towards the slightly warm pan and started to dig into the cookies.


	2. Chapter 2

Disclaimer: I do not own Coraline or it's characters.

Chapter 2,

Coraline was so glad to have Harry and Marina back. Though they couldn't do everything they did back in Michigan. Coraline remembered how they would go up to the mall and order milkshakes. Then with their shakes they would go to the arcade section the mall still had and play vintage games. Coraline's favorite was still Dragon's Lair, but she did better at Dig Dug. Then when they ran out of quarters they would go through the park and look around for any 'lost treasure' they might find.

On school nights, their day would end here, but during the summer, Coraline's favorite thing to do would be to go to the drive-in with Harry's mother. Not to sound like a sadist, but she especially loved it when they all watched a horror movie together. His mother could not contain her fear to save her life, and when she screamed, she screamed **loud.** But her overreactions were part of her charm too. Harry inherited some of this, but he is a lot harder to scare. Though Coraline and Marina kept trying their best to scare him.

"When did you guys plant the tulips, they are so pretty." Marina said as she sniffed one of hundreds.

"Oh, well, almost a year ago. We did them a few days after we moved here, and everyone helped." Coraline said and Harry blinked.

"Everyone, who?" Harry asked and Coraline shrugged.

"Well, there is Mr. Bobinsky, he lives in the top flat." Coraline pointed up towards his living area.

"And Miss Spink and Miss Forceible are downstairs." Coraline pointed to their place.

"And then Wybie and his grandmother came down from their place on the hill." Coraline said, and she didn't point out his house because she wasn't exactly sure where it was.

"Oh, yeah. You told me about Wybie." Marina said and Harry placed his hand on his heart and 'stumbled' backwards.

"I have never heard this name. I feel so left out." Harry said dramatically, and the girls giggled at him. Harry smiled and glanced at them with one eye.

"But perhaps, this so-called Wybie, will not leave me in the dirt. Perhaps he will see me for the true me and enjoy my company over yours." Harry said in a high-pitched and extremely flamboyant way.

"Harry, won't you be at all threatened at the fact that another boy could join our group?" Marina said, though it almost sounded as if she was hinting at something else.

"Pff, yeah right. You girls are my very best friends. Besides, I dare him to come back from vacation to mess with me." Harry said, acting overly tough when he says this.

"Hey, kids. I made some more cookies. These are chocolate and peanut butter." Mel said, which just happened to be the magic words for Harry. He disappeared like an animated character, leaving behind a cloud of smoke.

"Heh, mom went a bit overboard with the drop cookies. She bought like... 12-15 packs or something like that." Coraline said and Marina rubbed the back of her neck.

"Hey, Cor..." she started and Coraline paused when she heard her old nickname.

"Yeah?" Coraline said Marina shrugged.

"You know, before you found out that you were moving, I always thought that I would be the odd one out." Marina said and Coraline blinked.

"What are you talking about, you're-" Coraline stopped when she saw her friends hand.

"Please, let me finish saying this before Harry gets back." Marina said and Coraline rolled her eyes.

"Please, knowing him, he's going to eat all of those cookies in about ten minutes, if he savors it." Coraline said and Marina sighed.

"Please?" She simply said and Coraline knew this was serious, so she crossed her arms and nodded to her friend.

"Thank you." She said and she took a deep breath.

"I thought that I would be the odd one out because you and Harry just connected in a way that I never knew. You two were so cute together, and I personally thought that you two would eventually get romantically involved." Marina said and Coraline took a step back.

"Whoa, but..." Coraline remembered that she was to remain quiet so she purses her lips to keep them together.

"I always thought that you two would date, and I would be the third wheel, and eventually you two would be on your merry way, leaving me behind. I know this is a bit dark. But I wanted to enjoy your friendship while it lasted." Marina took a hesitant look at Coraline, but otherwise didn't look at her.

"And then, to all of our surprise you tell us that you are moving. And we spend as much time together as we can. We both missed you very much, but Harry took your move very hard." Marina said and Coraline bit her lip, not sure if she wanted to hear all of this.

"I can't read his mind, Cor. But you didn't see the look on his face when I told him you made a friend out here, named Wybie. We don't talk about it much, though I am still worried about him. I think he is jealous of your new friend. And I'm telling you because I don't know if he is jealous of a friend... or a boyfriend." Marina said and this time, Coraline had to speak.

"Are you saying that Harry has a crush on me?" Coraline asked and Marina looked away.

"Maybe. He may have moved on by now, but I would still tread lightly." Marina said and Coraline took a deep breath.

"I love exploring with Wybie. And he is a good guy, even brave when he has to be." Coraline paused when she remembered the way Wybie saved her from the Other Mother.

"I suppose if I am honest with myself, I would say that I don't really like Wybie. But I think I would like who he could be." Coraline chose her words carefully because she did develop feelings for the Other Wybie. He was different the the real one, and it was more then just the button eyes. The Other Wybie loved her... at least that's what Coraline wants to believe. He would have taken a bullet for her, but maybe that's easier to do when you're basically a living doll. Still, Coraline mourned his 'death' and still thought about him when she was around the real Wybie. Coraline loved the Other Wybie, but not the real Wybie.

"Well, I think I understand that. I sometimes feel like Harry would be irresistible in about two or three years. But know, he is just cute in the dorkiest way." Marina said with a smile and a blush that surprised Coraline.

"Do you have a crush on Harry?" Coraline asked, and Marina blinked.

"Do you have a crush on Wybie?" Marina asked and Coraline blushed.

"Not right now." Coraline said, and Marina nodded.

"Same." She said simply and Coraline paused. She didn't like Wybie, but for some reason being asked that question almost embarrassed her. How did that make sense? And she didn't really believe Marina when she said she didn't like Harry. But if she didn't like Wybie, then Coraline needed to at least try to believe Marina when she says that she doesn't like Harry.

"So are we going to meet this guy, this Wybie?" Marina asked, halfway changing the subject.

"He'll be over later tonight. He is bringing a movie called Gremlins." Coraline said and Marina blinked.

"I've never heard of that movie." Marina said and Coraline paused.

"You're kidding." Coraline said and Marina shrugged.

"No, what's it about?" She asked and Coraline still felt as if she was pulling her leg, but rolled with it anyways.

"A man buys a pet from a special store. The pet has very specific rules that must be followed in order to be happy and healthy.

One is to never get the creature wet. Second is to keep it out of the sun. And Lastly, it cannot eat after midnight." Coraline said and Marina scrunched her nose.

"So strict. Why would you want a pet like that?" Marina said and Coraline smiled widely.

"Well, you haven't met Gizmo yet." Coraline said, and Marina rolled her eyes.

"Well what happens when you don't follow the rules?" She asked and Coraline chuckled.

"Well, there wouldn't be much of a surprise if I just told you. Besides if I told you everything about the movie, it wouldn't be as good." Coraline said and Marina paused.

"I suppose, but I'm not big on surprises." Marina said and Coraline shook her head.

"You're silly." Coraline said and Harry popped his head out of the kitchen and looked at the girls.

"There is still two of the chocolate peanut butter cookies left. You girls want them?" Harry asked and Marina chuckled.

"Harry sharing chocolate and peanut butter? The world must be turning upside down." Marina said, standing up. And Coraline followed slowly. She may have had feelings for Harry before she left, but she's barely thought about him since she's been here. Since she met the Other Wybie, actually. He was selfless, and kind, and funny, and... she truly missed him.


	3. Chapter 3

Disclaimer: I do not own Coraline or it's characters.

Chapter 3,

"Get ready little mogwi's because here comes the Gremlins." Wybie said, holding the movie up, and Coraline chuckled softly at his joke, which instantly made Harry jealous, which made Mariana sad.

"Come on, Why-were-you-born. Come meet my old friends from Michigan." Coraline said to the boy.

"Oh, Coraline, that's not a very nice thing to call your friend." Mariana said and Wybie waved her off.

"It's ok, Jonesy has been calling me that since the day we met." Wybie said, and it was true, but Coraline still rolled her eyes.

"Wybie, this is my friend Mariana." Coraline said and Wybie shook her hand.

"Oh my, I fear that I have died and became a ghost, for no one seems to see me." Harry said dramatically and Coraline chuckled at him.

"Ok, Mr. Ghost. Would you like to meet my friend Wybie?" Coraline asked and Harry winked at her.

"If you insist, medium of the spirits." Harry said and Mariana blinked.

"Medium?" She said and Wybie nodded.

"Yeah, a kind of vessel for spirits to use, but mostly it is simply a person that can communicate with the dead." Wybie said and Harry was actually impressed at this.

"I'm surprised. Normally when it comes to mythology, or folklore, I would have to explain it to these two knuckleheads." Harry said and Mariana playfully punched his arm.

"How many times do I have to tell people to be nice? Mariana asked and Harry rolled his eyes.

"At least one more time." Harry said.

"Mah! Then boy you better start being nice to me." Mariana said.

"Or what?" Harry inquired with a cocky smile.

"Or else I'll reveal some stupid embarrassing secret about you." Mariana threatened.

"Like what?" Harry asked and Mariana smiled.

"Like this." She said, and then she leaned in and whispered in his ear. Soon Harry's eyes widened and a blush formed in his face.

"Ok, ok, you've made your point." Harry said, stepping away from her and Coraline giggled at them.

"I swear you don't even need me anymore." Coraline said, and Harry gasped dramatically.

"Parish the thought, young one. Thoughts like that are what makes ghosts, like me, exist." Harry said and this time Wybie rolled his eyes.

"Ok, Jonesy. Everything you told me makes sense now." Wybie said and Coraline chuckled.

"See what I mean, huh? Well then, I guess it's only fair to set up the movie and get ready." Coraline said and Wybie walked over to the DVD player and Mariana walked into the kitchen.

"So, Wybie seems nice." Harry said and Coraline shrugged.

"He can be a real pain in my behind, so you two should get alone fine." Coraline jokes and Harry let out an insure laughter.

"Yeah, but uh, what's the story with this guy anyways?" Harry asked and Coraline kind of roller her eyes.

"I met him the day I moved into the pink palace. His grandmother owns the place, so he hangs out and lives nearby. He's the only other kid outside of town." Coraline said and Harry nodded.

"So it's a friendship based on convenience?" Harry asked, but Coraline paused.

"Well, I really didn't like him at first. I thought that he was a stalker. But Wybie is kind, brave, and loyal. It's not always easy to see those kinds of qualities at first. I'm sure that if you make the effort to give Wybie a chance, then you two would become good friends too." Coraline said and Harry sighed.

"Ok, Cor, I'll make an effort to get to like Wybie." Harry said and Coraline nodded.

"Good, now we just have to deal with the hard part." Coraline said and Harry rose an eyebrow at her.

"What's that? Mariana liking Wybie?" Harry asked and Coraline shook her head.

"No, Wybie liking you, Harry. You can be quiet a handful." Coraline said with a wink. And Harry placed the back of his hand on his forehead.

"My dear, you think you know so much about me. I can be more then what you call 'a handful'." Harry said dramatically and Coraline rolled her eyes.

"So then what are you?" Coraline asked and Harry gave her a devilish grinD

"A hungry troll." Harry said and Coraline's eyes widened as she remembered what that meant.

"Uh-oh" She said and Harry chased Coraline all around the house until Mell yelled at them, forcing them to stop. Wybie enjoyed watching Coraline with her old friends, as if no time had passed at all. But it had. He and Jonesy has fought the other other mother and threw her hand down the well, with that cursed key. A small part of Wybie told him that they shouldn't be having a sleepover here, but how could the other mother get them now?


	4. Chapter 4

Disclaimer: I do not own Coraline or it's characters. Also I do not own Gremlins either.

Note: If you haven't seen Gremlins, then you should know that there are a few spoilers in this chapter.

Chapter 4,

"Da, da, da, da, da, da." Wybie and Coraline started to sing as they watched the credits to Gremlins. Harry was enjoying the movie, but watching Coraline and Wybie geek out like that hurt his heart.

"Da, da, da, da, da, da." Mariana joined in and she nudged Harry's side to kinda remind him to get along with Wybie and to have fun.

"Da, da, da, da, da, da, da, da, da." They all sang together.

"Will you kids quiet down?" Mrs. Jones called and everyone started laughing.

"So tell me guys, what did you think?" Coraline asked and Mariana smiled.

"I liked it a lot. I really love Gizmo though." She said and Harry nodded.

"Yeah, but I really love that scene at the bar. I mean did you see the Gremlin dressed in drag? You know, Stripe's girl." Harry said and Wybie shrugged.

"I don't know if they were really dating, but I saw that too. But you know I kinda like the scene at the begin where Billy is playing the keyboard while Gizmo sings; and Gizmo corrects Billy when he plays a wrong note." Wybie said and Coraline smiled.

"Yeah, I saw that and I thought he was a sassy little Mogwi." Coraline said and Mariana chuckled.

"You know what I loved? I loved that scene where all of the Gremlins are in the theater watching Snow White and they really, really love it." Mariana said and Harry chuckled and rolled his eyes.

"What about you Cor? What's your favorite part?" Harry asked.

"I don't know. There is so much to love. Let me think. Uh... I think I love the final show down best. Where Stripe is in the fountain and Gizmo opens the blinds and the sunlight kills Stripe." Coraline said and Harry and Mariana were confused by this.

"You mean when he melts into a puddle? Why would you like that?" Mariana said and Coraline shrugged.

"I don't know. There is something really comforting that, at the end of the day, the bad guy is dead." Coraline said and Wybie looked away at that. He knew what she was talking about. Because even though they defeated the Other Mother, she was still alive, and unless she could starve to death, she could find a way back.

"I don't know about the ending though." Harry said and Coraline looked at him.

"What do you mean?" Coraline asked.

"Well, Gizmo saves the day, but it was kinda his fault because if he hadn't gotten wet, he wouldn't have multiplied. So what's they message, 'clean up your own mess'?" Harry said and Mariana rolled her eyes.

"Technically it was that one kid's fault. The mouth guy who was in the tree. Besides, I don't think that's the message." Mariana said and Harry looks at her:

"What do you think then?" Harry asked and Mariana shrugged.

"Maybe that you don't have to be the biggest or the strongest, or the fastest to save the day and win the battle." Mariana said and Wybie nodded.

"True. Also that even the cutest things can transform into the ugliest creature." Wybie added.

"Yeah, but then there is hope that Billy will see Gizmo again." Coraline said and Wybie smiled.

"Well considering that there is a sequel, we kinda know they see each other again." Wybie said and Coraline bumped him with her hip.

"Hit the road Jack, and don't cha come back." Coraline half-sang.

"No more, no more, no more, no more." Wybie finished the versa and Harry groaned.

"My God. Do you two have to be so cute together?" Harry asked and everyone stared at him. Harry sighed.

"I'm sorry, I guess I am a bit dehydrated. I did eat a lot of cookies earlier." Harry said and he walked to the kitchen.

"Um, I better talk to him." Mariana said, following Harry. Leaving Wybie and Coraline alone.

"You think he's alright?" Wybie asked and Coraline looked at him.

"I think he might be a little jealous." Coraline said and Wybie blinked.

"Jealous? Why?" Wybie asked and Coraline rubbed the back of her neck.

"Well we were thick as thieves back in the day. And I move away, and as soon as he gets the chance to visit, he sees that I'm close to someone else. It's probably just hard because he's kinda my best friend... or maybe you're my best friend now, I don't know. Perhaps he feels like I replaced him?" Coraline said adding some misplaced guilt to her observation.

"Dang, Jonesy. You read more into that then I did." Wybie said and Coraline shrugged.

"Well, part of that is what Mariana was telling me about, before you got here." Coraline said and Wybie nodded. They were silent for a moment, and Wybie noticed that Coraline was hugging herself, but she was digging her fingers into her skin, as if she were afraid.

"You ok, Jonesy?" Wybie asked and Coraline looked at him. She was prepared to lie to him, but when she looked him in the eye, she found it impossible to do so.

"I was just... having second thoughts about this whole thing." Coraline said.

"What? About the sleep over?" Wybie asked.

"About bringing my friends here for the whole summer." Coraline said and Wybie nodded.

"Ah, that." Wybie said and Coraline sighed.

"Yes, that. I mean what if the Other Mother is like a Gremlin and keeps coming back?" Coraline asked and Wybie took a deep breath.

"Hey, come here." Wybie said and he held his arms opened so that he could hug her. She accepted his openness and walked into his hug. She held him tightly and Wybie had a hand on the back of her head and ran his hand up and down her back.

"Do you remember that gardening party you had right after we defeated the Other Mother?" Wybie asked and Coraline nodded.

"Yeah, you invited me and my grandmother to the party. You did that so we could tell her what's been happening and what happened to her sister." Wybie said and Coraline nodded again.

"I remember." Coraline said into Wybie's chest, which ticked a little.

"Well, you were great to do that for me. I couldn't have done it alone. And I remember you telling my grandmother all about the Other Mother and your dreams. And when Grandma asked about the Other Mother and what happened to her, do you remember what you said? You said, 'don't worry. She's not a problem anymore'." Wybie quoted and Coraline was touched that he managed to remember that. And she did feel a little better, but not 100%. So for a moment, she just stood there taking in Wybie's unique scent.

"But my favorite part was when you said, oh. And I couldn't have done it without Wybie." Wybie said and Coraline lifted her head.

"That's not what I said next." Coraline said.

"I couldn't have done it without Wybie. He is so big and strong." Wybie said making his voice a little higher to sound more feminine.

"Ugh, stop that." Coraline said with a smile. She pulled away from him/

"He rescued me, madam. You have no idea how terrified I was until he arrived. I owe my very life to him." Wybie said and Coraline gasped playfully.

"Says the guy who almost fell down the well." Coraline said. She picked up a pillow and threw it at the boy.

"And because he saved my life, I will do everything in my power to show my devotion to him." Wybie continued, and the two started going around the room throwing pillows, pencils, and pens at each other.

"I'll cook for him every night."

"Oh, will I?"

"And I'll make his bed, and clean his room."

"What a pipe dream."

"And I'll escort him on any adventure he has."

"You didn't go on adventures until you met me."

"Yes I did."

"No you didn't."

"Yes I did."

"No you didn't."

They became so immersed with each other that they kinda forgot the rest of the world. They just stood there arguing like the kids they were. Not caring or noticing who saw them like that. But perhaps if they did look around, they would have seen a cute little mouse with button eyes, staring at them.


	5. Chapter 5

Disclaimer: I do not own Coraline or it’s characters.

Chapter 5,

“Harry, are you ok?” Mariana asked when she walked into the kitchen and saw him pounding water.

“I’m starting to wonder why we even showed up to this place.” Harry admitted and Mariana blinked.

“We are here to spend the summer with Coraline.” Mariana reminded him and Harry scoffed.

“Why? It’s not like she missed us.” Harry said.

“Oh, don’t give me that crud, Harry, she did miss us. Heck, she may have even missed us more then we missed her.” Mariana said and Harry glared at her.

“Why would you say that?” Harry asked.

“Think about it, she had to say goodbye to all of her friends, not just us. And she also had to say goodbye to her childhood home and a town full of memories. So yeah, we may have missed her a lot, but she had more to miss, you know.” Mariana said and Harry sighed.

“You’re right. I know that you’re right, but I just can’t help it. Seeing her be like that happy with that Wybie character just drives me crazy.” Harry said and Mariana quietly groaned in disappointment. She wished that Harry got that jealous over her.

“Listen, it’s ok to be upset, Harry. But you need to find a way of expressing that emotion, without risking your friendship with Coraline.” Mariana said and Harry drank more water.

“Again you have a point, but what am I suppose to do, Mariana?” Harry asked and Mariana sighed.

“Well, if you wanted, you could do what I do. You could write in a journal.” Mariana said and Harry paused.

“Like a diary?” Harry asked and Mariana nodded.

“Yeah, exactly. I find that journaling is a nice way to slowly process and figure out your emotions.” Mariana said and Harry sighed.

“I’m still not sure.” Harry said.

“I actually brought up several blank journals for our trip, you can have one. And if you don’t like it, then you could always return it back to me.” Mariana said and Harry drank more water.

“If it can help me be a better friend to Coraline then I’ll try it.” Harry said.

“And hey, a journal can be whatever you want it to be as well. A dream journal, a prayer journal, a little black book; you could write down your day, your hopes, your pain, anything.” Mariana said and Harry shrugged and drank more water.

“I don’t know about all that, but maybe it would help.” Harry said.

“Ok, how about this, Harry. You are such a good artist, you can do a bunch of sketches in your journal.” Mariana said and Harry smiled a little.

“Hey, look out Greg Heffley, I’m coming after you.” Harry said sarcastically.

“Oh, I love you.” Mariana whispered.

“What as that?” Harry asked, not quite hearing her.

“I love how funny you are.” Mariana quickly said with a deep blush on her face.

“Ok, well thanks. How many extra notebooks do you have?” Harry asked.

“I have one I’m on now, so... three extra ones.” Mariana replied and Harry blinked.

“What? Three? Why would you have that many?” Harry asked.

“It is hard to tell how long a journal will last for me. Some journals would last maybe three to six months, when others literally last 30 days. I knew we were gonna be here all summer, so I would have rather been overly-prepared then under-prepared.” Mariana said and Harry nodded.

“Well I guess that makes sense.” Harry said quietly.

“Yeah. So would you like to pick out a journal now?” Mariana asked and Harry shook his head.

“No, not this second. Because right now, I really, really gotta pee.” Harry said before speed walking to the bathroom. Mariana sighed and watched him leave. She kinda felt stupid for caring about Harry so much when he was so obsessed with Coraline. She didn’t know how else to handle herself but try and be a good friend to him. After all, she didn’t want to lose Harry’s friendship. Though now, Mariana is wondering if Harry’s friendship is worth the heartache she felt. She walked over to the counter and she rested both hands upon it. She closed her eyes and took deep and slow breaths. She sniffled and bit her lip roughly, but she refused to cry. She didn’t want to be the type of girl that got emotional just because a boy didn’t like her back.

“Hey. Are you ok?” Wybie asked, panting lightly. Mariana looked up at him, shocked, but forced a smile on her face anyways.

“Of course.” Mariana said. Wybie walked over to the cabinet and pulled out a glass.

“I just came in to get some water.” Wybie said, filling the glass and chugging it. He filled the glass a second time and looked at Mariana again.

“You sure you’re ok?” Wybie asked again and this time Mariana shrugged.

“Maybe I am a little worried about Harry.” Mariana said and Wybie nodded.

“Does Harry feel like I replaced him?” Wybie asked her and Mariana’s eyes widened.

“What...? Oh, maybe a little. To be honest he’s just plain jealous because you and Coraline are so close, and he’s in love with her.” Mariana spat out bitterly. Wybie paused for a moment and tilted his head.

“And you’re jealous because you are in love with Harry. And you want him to be crazy about you?” Wybie asked and Mariana looked away.

“I guess I shouldn’t have snapped like that.” Mariana commented and Wybie shrugged.

“It’s fine. Does Jonesy know?” Wybie asked.

“Well... I kinda implied that I didn’t have a crush on him. At least right now.” Mariana said shyly.

“Why did you say that?” Wybie asked and Mariana shrugged.

“I didn’t want to make things awkward. We haven’t seen her in a year and it’s our first day here. We have three months to talk about feelings. It can wait.” Mariana said and Wybie hesitated.

“Can it?” He asked and Mariana bit her lip.

“At least until tomorrow.” Mariana said and Wybie nodded. He glanced over and saw the cookie tray from earlier with one lonely cookie left on it. He picked up the tray and offered the cookie to here.

“Things will get better.” Wybie said gently, as she stared at the last cookie.

“Thank you.” She said softly and Wybie smiled at her.

“Sure thing.” Wybie said, putting the try in the sink, and he started to leave.

“Hey, wait.” Mariana said and she broke the cookie in half.

“Take one. We had plenty earlier.” Mariana said and Wybie paused and tilted his smile.

“Thanks, that’s sweet of you.” Wybie said, taking a piece of cookie. They walked into the living room, talking about where they would like to set up their sleeping bags after dinner.


	6. Chapter 6

Disclaimer: I do not own Coraline or it's characters.

Chapter 6,

After dinner, the kids curled up in their sleeping bags and Mrs. Jones turned out the lights in the living room. Harry was in the far end of the group; beside him laid Mariana, then Coraline, then Wybie. Harry was on his back, trying to ignore the others giggling and conversing amongst themselves. He couldn't help but be annoyed at how well the three of them got along.

So he picked up the journal he got from Mariana, and walked into the dining room. He flipped on a small light and sat at the table with a pen he found by the microwave. Harry hadn't really kept a diary before, but he just needed to vent and he angrily wrote in the poor thing.

Harry poured his words into the journal; the pain of Coraline moving away, the sadness he felt to live without her, and even the anger he felt to see her playing with Wybie. By the time he had purged the thoughts that had been burning inside of him, he found that he was extremely tired. Though perhaps he earned the right to be tired; a quick glance at the clock told him that he wrote for an hour straight.

Harry wondered if that was unusual, since he hadn't done this before. But he decided not to dwell on it since it was so late. When he returned to his sleeping bag, he found that the others were as still as stone. He turned his back to his friends and tried to go to sleep. Though after a moment, he heard a voice whispering to him.

"Hey..." the voice whispered. Harry's body jerked at the sound, but otherwise he tried to ignore it.

"Harry, hey..." the voice whispered again and Harry once again tried to ignore it.

"I saw you move, I know you're awake." The voice said and Harry sighed. He opened his eyes and he saw a blurry shadowy figure beside him.

"... Coraline...?" Harry asked confused, but he just heard the figure giggling.

"Come on." She said, neither confirming or denying her identity.

"Now?" Harry asked and the figure giggled again.

"Follow me." The female said and Harry slipped out of his sleeping bag.

"Where?" Harry asked and the figure stood up and crept to the edge of the rooms

"I want to show you something." She said and Harry stood up.

"What's that?" Harry asked and she giggled.

"Follow me." She said a second time. Harry rolled his eyes and walked towards the giggling girl.

"You're against the wall; there is nowhere for you to go." Harry stares and she giggled more.

"Aren't you adorable, watch this." She said. Then, down below, a tiny door opened. Harry knelt down and he saw a beautiful blue/purple tunnel.

"Woah. Where does that go, Coraline?" Harry asked as he stared at the door on the other end.

"Only one way to find out." She said. Harry couldn't help but scoff at the way she teased him, and he smiled.

"Well then, what are you waiting for?" Harry asked. He got down on his hands and knees, and he went through the tiny door. He marveled at the moving colors as he crawled along. When he got to the other side of the tunnel, he was surprised to see the living room with two sleeping bags on the floor. He stood up and looked around.

"That's odd. How do you walk away from something and still come back to it? Where is Wybie?" Harry asked, and of course, he heard another giggle.

"I don't know who that it, but this is a different space. Sometimes places look the same, but that doesn't mean that you should treat them the same." She said. Harry furrowed his brow at her odd comment. He slowly turned towards the figure in the dark.

"You don't know who Wybie is?" Harry asked suspiciously. The whole reason he mentioned Wybie, was because she was closer to Wybie then him.

"No clue, but I have you." She said sweetly and Harry continued to eye her.

"C... Coraline?" Harry asked nervously.

"Close." She said. She finally stepped into the moonlight and Harry gasped at her button eyes.

"I'm actually the Other Coraline." She said and Harry stepped away from her.

"Y-you can't be real." Harry said and the Other Coraline giggled.

"If I'm not real, then how am so here?" The Other Coraline said and Harry hesitated at the question.

"Maybe... am I dreaming?" Harry asked and the Other Coraline shrugged as she walked closer to him.

"Do you think you're dreaming?" The Other Coraline asked and Harry sighed.

"If this is a dream, it is the most realistic dream that I have ever had." Harry said and the Other Coraline smiled at him.

"That's the spirit." The Other Coraline said with a giggle. Harry paused as a new thought entered his mind.

"Hey, do I have to call you 'Other Coraline'?" Harry asked and the Other Coraline shrugged.

"I guess not. What would you like to call me?" The Other Coraline asked with a huge smile on her face, and Harry paused for a moment.

"Well, I don't wanna completely change your name, so I won't call you Jasmine or Sapphire or Hannah. Maybe I could mix 'Other' and 'Coraline' together. Like, uh... Other-line? Do you like Otherline? Harry asked and the Other Coraline giggled.

"I like it, if you like it." The Other Coraline said, sweetly holding her arms behind her back.

"Oh... ok, I think... Otherline it is." Harry said and Otherline tilted her head until it was sideways, before giggling again.

"My new name is so cute, Harry. Thank you." Otherline said and Harry smiled at her.

"So, where did Mariana and Wybie go?" Harry asked, looking down at the two sleeping bags on the floor.

"I told you, I don't know who Wybie is, but Mariana wanted to sleep out in the greenhouse. Play with the flowers and whatnot. So it's just you and me." Otherline said. Once again, Harry was confused that Otherline didn't know Wybie, but if this was his dream, then why would Wybie have to be here?

"Oh, goodie, the cookies are here." Otherline said. Harry turned around and saw a group of strange mice carrying a plate of cookies and two glasses of milk. Otherline sat down on her sleeping bag, so Harry sat on the other sleeping bag.

"What's with the mice?" Harry asked as the mice sat down the items they were carrying.

"They are my friends; aren't they cute?" Otherline asked and Harry rubbed the back of his neck.

"Um, where did they come from?" Harry asked, since rats and mice made him feel a bit on edge.

"They belong to Mr.B, he lives upstairs. He trains them and works hard to make them the greatest mouse circus in the world." Otherline said.

"The best, huh? How many mouse circuses are there?" Harry asked and Otherline shrugged.

"Who knows. Maybe they can perform for us privately. They are really cute." Otherline said. She picked up a cookie and handed it to Harry.

"Come on, eat one, Harry. I made these from scratch." Otherline said and Harry blinked at her.

"Really? I thought these were store bought." Harry said, looking down at the thing and Otherline laughed.

"It's a peanut butter cookie, with mini M 's, Reese's Pieces, and a drizzle of chocolate ganache frosting. You can't buy that at the store." Otherline said and Harry was drooling before he even tried the cookie. But when he did, it was the best peanut butter and chocolate cookie that he had ever had.

"Wow. Oh wow..." Harry said, sipping some milk.

"That is really, really good." Harry said once he inhaled this morsel. Otherline smiled and gave him a quick kiss on his cheek.

"Thank you, Harry, you're so sweet. Lay down and I'll sing you a sweet lullaby." Otherline said and Harry curled up in the sleeping bag.

"Which one?" Harry asked and Otherline shrugged.

"My favorite one has no real title, and is sung in multiple languages in a tune that I made up. But I'm sure that it will put you at ease." Otherline said and Harry nodded.

"Let's hear it then." Harry said, closing his eyes.

"Papa werkt heel hard, mama moet helpen. We moeten werken om de kost te verdienen. De kinderen zullen lijden." Otherline sang in Dutch.

"Watashi wa monogoidesu, tada no monogoidesu. Watashi ga shinda toki, dare ga watashi no tame ni nakimasu ka?" Otherline sang in Japanese.

"Hush-a-by baby, babe not mine, mo mhulad caoidh, nach gabh thu truas a-chaoidh? Bliadhna air ais, chaidh mo spìonadh gu bràth." Otherline sang in Scottish Gaelic and Harry yawned.

"How do you know all of these languages?" Harry asked sleepily and Otherline stroked his hair.

"I've heard a lot of lullabies." Otherline whispered before returning to her song.

"Litli vinur minn, ég læt mig hvíla. En fyrir utan bíður andlit við gluggann." She sang in Icelandic.

"J'ai faim et je vais manger, crus et vivants, sans pain ni beurre, tous les petits enfants qui ne sont pas les miens." She sang in French.

"Morí hace mucho tiempo, pero todavía estoy aquí. Caminando en un mundo de mi propia creación, sembrando el miedo." She sang in Spanish.

"Bulan purnama, seperti kepala raksasa yang menakutkan. Mohon diam; untuk yang mencari anak menangis ini." She sang in Indonesian.

"I bambini vengono ignorati, come io sono stato ignorato. a tutti viene data l'opportunità di vivere per sempre, un'opzione che non ho mai ricevuto. Chi lo accetta viene messo in una stanza speciale. Ad altri viene data fine alla loro sofferenza. Nessuno piange i bambini, come nessuno ha pianto me. È piuttosto triste, davvero. I bambini dovrebbero essere persi." She sang in Italian. Harry just barely noticed the way Otherline repeated the lullaby. It wasn't really in English, and he didn't understand most of it; but it soothed him, and he hoped that he would remember it in the morning.


	7. Chapter 7

Disclaimer: I do not own Coraline or it's characters.

Chapter 7,

Coraline and her friends woke to the smell of bacon and pancakes. They yawned, stretched, and muttered their 'good morning's to each other.

"Hey, kids, how did you sleep last night?" Mrs. Jones asked as she pulled milk and orange juice from the fridge.

"Good." They said in unison. Mr. Jones was at the stove, cooking eggs.

"What did you guys dream about?" Mr. Jones asked, as they sat at the table.

"Papa werkt heel hard, mama moet helpen. we moeten werken om de kost te verdienen. De kinderen moeten lijden." Harry quietly sung happy to recall the song.

"Well, I had a dream where I was the troll king and we searched the lands rescuing little Mogwai's from scientists." Coraline said and her father giggled.

"Watashi wa monogoidesu, tada no monogoidesu. Watashi ga shinda toki, dare ga watashi no tame ni nakimasu ka?" Harry softly continued.

"Hey, I had a Gremlins dream too. Except, I actually was a Mogwai and I had to fight the hideous mutated gremlins." Wybie said.

"pàisde hush-a-bye, babe not mine, mo mhulad caoidh, nach gabh thu truas a-chaoidh? Bliadhna air ais bha mi air mo spìonadh gu bràth." Harry sang.

"I had a dream that I was taking this romantic walk in the woods, with lights in the trees and a tiny row of candles along the trail for me to follow. Then we danced by a waterfall, which was my favorite part." Mariana said.

"Fun! Did you dance with anyone we know?" Mr. Jones asked. He placed the egg he was making on a plate and gave that to his wife. She was asked to attend a meeting that morning l, so she ate her egg faster then she normally would.

"Uh..." Mariana hesitated and glanced at Wybie before actually answering.

"You know, I don't really remember." Mariana said, bashfully filling her glass with orange juice.

"Litli vinur minn, ég læt mig hvíla. En fyrir utan bíður andlit við gluggann." Harry sang. And it was at this point that Mr. Jones realized Harry was singing.

"Mariana, what kind of egg would you like?" Mr. Jones asked and Mrs. Jones shook her head.

"Charlie, can you please take out the trash before you make anything else?" Mrs. Jones asked and he nodded.

"J'ai faim et je vais manger, crus et vivants, sans pain ni beurre, tous les petits enfants qui ne sont pas les miens." Harry said. Mr. Jones froze at this verse, and he glanced at Harry with a mix of confusion and concern. But he decided to wait to comment until after he returned; because he tied off the bag and walked outside.

"Morí hace mucho tiempo, pero todavía estoy aquí. Caminando en un mundo de mi propia creación, sembrando el miedo." Harry sang and this got Mrs. Jones' attention. She put down her fork and turned to Harry.

"Harry, what in the world are you singing?" Mrs. Jones asked and Harry shrugged l.

"It's just a song I heard in my dream." Harry said and Mariana blinked at him.

"You dreamt up that song? Don't you normally dream about being the best skateboarder, or surfer, or rock climber?" Mariana asked and Harry shrugged.

"Well, last night I ate peanut butter, chocolate cookies and heard that song in my dream." Harry said as Mr. Jones cane back in and washed his hands.

"Well, do you realize what you're singing?" Mrs. Jones asked and Harry shook his head.

"No; do you?" Harry asked. Mrs Jones finished her egg and stood up.

"Well, I took Spanish in high school, so only part of it. You said 'I died long ago, but I'm still here. Walking in a world of my own creation, spreading fear'. I don't know why you dreamt that; it's kinda weird." Mrs. Jones said and she kissed Mr. Jones on the cheek.

"See you later hon, love you." Mrs. Jones said before leaving.

"Wow, Harry. 'I died long ago, but I'm still here. Walking in a world of my own creation, spreading fear'? Dream or not, it's hard to believe that you came up with that." Mariana said and that's when Coraline started to worry.

Was it really possible that Harry DIDN'T come up with that? Was there any chance that he really DID hear someone singing that to him? Is it possible that the Other Mother sang to Harry last night? Wybie noticed the way Coraline struggled and he was the only one who knew why this would bother her.

"Well, I don't know what to tell you, I just-..." Harry froze when he saw Wybie reach over and put his hand on Coraline's shoulder. Then when Coraline turned towards Wybie and gave him a small smile, Harry simply couldn't stand it.

"I just remembered that I wanted to write my dream down in my new journal. Excuse me." Harry said, standing up and going back to the living room.

"Hey wait, do you want scrambled eggs, Harry?" Mr. Jones asked and Harry nodded.

"Oh, dear. I shouldn't have teased him like that. I should go apologize." Mariana said and she followed Harry.

"I thought I was gonna have a full breakfast table, and everyone keeps leaving me. What's a chef to do?" Mr. Jones asked and Wybie rose an eyebrow at this.

"You're a chef?" Wybie asked and Coraline sighed.

"As a matter of fact, I am. You see-"

"Dad, if you're gonna tell this story again, at least give me the opportunity to go change first." Coraline said as she stepped away from the table.

"Anyways, Wybie. I love to cook, always have. I actually wanted to open my own restaurant and once a week hold cooking classes. I was convinced that I was going to be the next Julia Child." Mr. Jones said and Wybie thought this name sounded familiar.

"Julia Child? Julia Child, Julia... oh, wait, I know her. She was the host of that 60's cooking show, The French Chef." Wybie said and Mr. Jones paused.

"I'm shocked you know that show." Mr. Jones said honestly and Wybie shrugged.

"Well, Grandma watches the show a lot, and sometimes I'll watch it with her." Wybie explained.

"Ah, ok then. Well, my love of cooking and Julia Child made me want to study French culture and cuisine. That's what made me take French in high school; good thing too, otherwise I never would have married Mel." Mr. Jones said.

"Really?" Wybie asked and Mr. Jones cracked a couple of eggs into a bowl and started whisking them.

"Senior year, my French class went out to Paris for a month to really soak it all in. Mel doesn't look it, but she is actually a year older then I am, and she was taking a year off to see the world before she went home and started college. Her last stop was Paris, and that's where we met. Heh, she was trying to order a coffee with this English to French dictionary and I came to her rescue." Mr. Jones said and Wybie smiled.

"Cool. So how did you go from chef to writing about plants?" Wybie asked and Mr. Jones shrugged.

"Well, Mel wanted to become a writer; specifically children's books so she could read her stories to her own children. I actually did have a small restaurant for a while. I used fresh herbs we grew ourselves, and I loved it. Mel has trouble coming up with a children's story, so she started looking for a job that involved writing. So she eventually got her job at the magazine, telling others how to take care of their plants.

"As for me, my restaurant failed because I underestimated how much I should have been charging for my food. I was charging about half what it was supposed to be, and that's why I was struggling. But when I increased my prices, no one wanted to come back; so I lost my business entirely. Mel got me a job at the magazine, writing about herb plants, how to care for them and simple recipes you can do with them." Mr. Jones said and Wybie nodded.

"Oh, well... at least they're good jobs." Wybie said and Mr. Jones shrugged and poured the eggs in the pan.

"Mel likes to write fiction every once in a while, and even though Coraline's palette is a bit simple, I do all the cooking for the house. But maybe one day, when things are better, I'll get to have a restaurant again. Maybe I'll stage it to be like The French Chef's kitchen. Maybe it can be like a French hibachi restaurant, where you could have a Julia Child cooking your food for you, but she is sharing cooking tips and stories." Mr. Jones said with a smile. Wybie smiles back, but then he remembered Harry and the odd look Mr. Jones gave Harry earlier.

"Mr. Jones, you said you spoke French, right? Did you understand something Harry sang in French?" Wybie asked and Mr. Jones nodded.

"Actually, yes. It was a French lullaby we learned at school, an old one at that. I remember it being longer, but I was surprised to hear Harry singing it. Maybe he heard it on the plane, on the way here." Mr. Jones said and Wybie nodded.

"So what exactly did Harry sing?" Wybie asked as Mr. Jones started moving the eggs with a plastic spatula.

"He said 'I'm hungry and will eat, raw and alive, without bread or butter, all the little kids, who aren't mine'. Strange huh?" Mr. Jones said.

Wybie was glad that Coraline wasn't here to hear that. If she was worried about the Other Mother returning, this would not make her feel better. But it was strange though. Wybie wondered what the rest of the song meant, and if there was more to it. Wybie gently poked his fork as he thought about both translated verses, side-by-side.

I'm hungry, and will eat, raw and alive, without bread or butter, all the little kids, who aren't mine. I died long ago, but I'm still here. Walking in a world of my own creation, spreading fear.

Wybie felt like something was off about Harry this morning, and until he knew what it was, perhaps he should stay at the pink palace.


	8. Chapter 8

Disclaimer: I do not own Coraline or it's characters.

Chapter 8,

"I got my camera." Mariana said and Coraline gasped.

"Oh, wow. I can't believe you bought this." Coraline said, gingerly touching the familiar object.

"That looked professional." Wybie said and Mariana giggled.

"It is; or at least it was. Rebel retires." Mariana said and Wybie blinked.

"Rebel? Did you name the camera?" Wybie asked and Mariana shrugged.

"Well, sort of. See this is a Canon Rebel T6 camera. I just call it Rebel for short. And to answer your next question, it's retired because my dad use to use it, and he gave it to me. He's a professional photographer." Mariana said and Wybie nodded.

"Do you always take a camera out when you explore?" Wybie asked and Mariana nodded.

"I love taking pictures. I would love to work with film, but dad has never developed film and he doesn't want either of us to mess up my pictures. Maybe I'll get to work with film when I am older, but at least I get to take pictures." Mariana said with a smile and Wybie smiled back.

"Wait, Harry's not out here yet?" Mariana asked and Coraline sighed.

"I'll go in and get him." Coraline said, walking into the house. She entered the living room and she saw Harry standing beside one of the windows, staring out at Wybie and Mariana.

"Why do you look mad?" Coraline asked and Harry jumped at the sound of her voice.

"Man, Core, why do you scare me like that?" Harry asked and Coraline giggled softly.

"Sometimes you're too easy." Coraline said, walking over to Harry and putting a hand on the boy's shoulders.

"Come on, Harry." Coraline said softly and Harry looked at her.

"You're not gonna break your promise to me, are you?" Coraline asked and Harry sighed.

"Fine, I'll play nice." Harry said and Coraline smiled widely at him. Harry loved Coraline's smile.

"Good, now let's go exploring." Coraline said and the two walked out of the house. There they reunite with their other two friends and their boisterous laughter. Harry was rather suspicious of them laughing so hard, but Coraline stepped in.

"Alright guy. We're here to explore. What direction should we go?" Coraline said.

"Well, why don't we ask Wybie?" Harry said, gesturing towards the boy in the overcoat.

"Huh?" Wybie asked and Mariana rose an eyebrow at him.

"You want Wybie to decide where we explore?" Mariana asked. Harry crosses his arms over his chest and shrugged.

"Wybie was here before Coraline got here. And you've been here, what, all your life?" Harry asked and Wybie nodded.

"Yeah, I grew up here with my grandmother." Wybie said and Coraline smiled.

"Hey, maybe we could explore the area around your house." Coraline suggested.

"You guys wanna come over to my house?" Wybie asked and Harry tilted his head and smiled.

"Why so concerned? Is your house not 'company ready'?" Harry teased a little and Wybie sighed.

"Look, if you guys want to come over to my house, grandma would love to meet you. I know she'd get a kick out of showing Coraline her herb garden." Wybie said and Coraline gasped.

"Your grandma has a garden?" Coraline asked.

"She's an herbal apothecarist. She needs to grow some stuff to make sure it's fresh; so the garden is kinda necessary." Wybie said and Harry's eyes widened.

"An herbal apothecarist? Like someone who uses alternative medicine to treat various illnesses?" Harry asked, with a smile on his face.

"Yeah, exactly." Wybie said and Harry shifted a little.

"That actually sounds pretty cool." Harry admitted softly and Wybie smiled at him.

"Well, with that stamp of approval, follow me." Wybie said and the four of them started walking into the surrounding forest.

Harry was the slowest out of the four of them, mostly because he didn't want to go. He hated seeing Wybie and Coraline playing buddy buddy, but he did make her a promise. Mariana looked at Harry and fell back to talk to him privately.

"You're scowling." Mariana stated and Harry blinked at her.

"Well, maybe I am, is there a problem with that?" Harry asked and Mariana shrugged.

"Maybe not to me, and maybe not to Wybie... but It probably matters to Coraline." Mariana said and Harry sighed a groan.

"I don't mean to be a little storm cloud, raining on y'alls parade. I just don't know how to relax around that... boy..." Harry said stiffly and Mariana looked up at Wybie and then back at Harry.

"Listen, maybe you just need to sit down with Wybie and tell him how you feel." Mariana suggested. Harry was so disgusted at the idea that he wanted to puke.

"Over my dead body." Harry muttered and Mariana rolled her eyes.

"You don't have to get snippy about it; it was just a suggestion." Mariana said and Harry shook his head.

"I know, I'm sorry." Harry said.

"Harry if you don't want to have an open and honest conversation with Wybie, there's only one way I can see, your staying here, and getting better." Mariana said.

"What's that?" Harry asked and Mariana put her hands in her pockets.

"You can't overcome this hatred you have for Wybie until you stop thinking of him like some villain or enemy." Mariana said and the boy hesitated.

"I... I-I don't hate Wybie... I may not like him, but I don't hate him." Harry said bashfully and Mariana smirked.

"Ok, fair enough, you don't hate Wybie. Look, even if you don't tell him how you feel about Coraline and his relationship with her; you still got to talk to him." Mariana said and Harry paused.

"But, why?" Harry asked and Mariana rolled her eyes.

"You have to talk to him in order to see what you two have in common. If you find some similarities, and there are bound to be some, then that's something the two of you can talk about. Who knows, maybe when you two start talking, you'll even realize that you like each other and become friends." Mariana said and Harry sighed.

"I suppose anything is possible." Harry said. Mariana lifted her camera and snapped a picture of Harry.

"What was that for?" Harry asked and Mariana giggled.

"It's to symbolize the first real step in becoming friends with Wybie." Mariana said.

"What; deciding to talk to him?" Harry asked.

"Nah. Accepting that friendship was possible." Mariana said. Harry smiled and rolled his eyes.

"You're so silly." Mariana said and Harry shrugged.

"I'm cute, I can get away with being silly." Harry said and Mariana smirked.

"You think you're cute?" Mariana asked and Harry nodded.

"Of course, I do. Don't you think I'm cute?" Harry asked and Mariana scoffed.

"Not when you do stuff like that." Mariana said. Harry placed the back of his hand on his forehead and dramatically sighed.

"How can you tell this destroyed shell of a boy that he isn't cute, in his time of need?" Harry said flamboyantly and Mariana laughed.

"Just when you're obnoxious about it." Mariana said and Harry rose an eyebrow at her.

"Oh? Does that mean that you normally find me cute?" Harry asked and Mariana's eyes widened.

"Wow!" Coraline called out and they turned towards her to see what caused such a reaction.

"Oh, look at the flowers." Mariana said with a gasp. The forest had opened into this gorgeous clearing. It had a sweet looking cottage, with 20, 30, 50, 100 different types of flowers surrounding it. The cottage itself had two stories, lots of windows, two soothing balconies, and assorted greenery randomly spread on the wall and part of the roof. It was like something that stepped out of a classic fairytale, like goldilocks and the three bears, or Cinderella, or Snow White.

"That was a short walk. How could you live so close to Coraline and not have her over?" Harry asked and Wybie shrugged.

"I guess I didn't really think about it before." Wybie said and suddenly the sound of a bell rung out for all to hear.

"Wyborn!" Wybie grandmother, Mrs. Lovat shouted at him.

"Don't just stand there, like bumps on a log. Come over here and let me say hello to your friends." Mrs. Lovat said with a smile. The children giggled at the loving, yet slightly embarrassing display; and they walked over to the wise woman.

"Hello Coraline. It's nice to see you again. But who are these two?" Mrs. Lovat asked.

"These are friends of Coraline's. They come all the way from Michigan." Wybie said and Mrs. Lovat smiled at the children.

"Well hello, friends of Coraline." Mrs. Lovat said.

"Hi." Mariana and Harry said together.

"Guys, this is Mrs. Lovat. Mrs. Lovat, this is Mariana and Harry." Coraline said, giving everyone the proper introduction. Mrs. Lovat gave a small nod of acknowledgement.

"Are you all enjoying the flowers?" Mrs. Lovat said and Mariana swooned.

"I've never seen so many flowers in one place before." Mariana said and Coraline nodded.

"It's beyond beautiful, Mrs. Lovat. I can't believe you have so many." Coraline said and Wybie turned towards the followers.

"Grandpa started the tradition. He swore to grandma that her life would only get more beautiful the longer they were married." Wybie started.

"That's right. He planted a flower on our anniversary to help keep his promise. He did it every year, until he couldn't anymore. Since he's gone, I plant his flower for him, because he can't really do it anymore." Mrs. Lovat said.

"Yeah, 'sometimes promises need a helping hand', right grandma?" Wybie asked and she nodded.

"That's right. Why don't you all come in for a glass of icy cold lemonade." Mrs. Lovat asked and everyone, but Harry, smiled. She stared directly at the sour boy.

"If you're interested, I also made chocolate peanut butter squares." Mrs. Lovat said in a singsong tone- as if she already knew Harry loved chocolate and peanut butter.

"That's surprising. I thought you only made those for Thanksgiving and Christmas." Wybie commented and she nodded.

"I had a feeling that I needed to make them today. And it's a good thing too, because this one looks highly interested in them." Mrs. Lovat said, talking about Harry, who shrugged.

"I happen to like chocolate and peanut butter." Harry said nonchalantly and Wybie smiled.

"You do?" Wybie asked.

"That's right, you didn't show up until dinner time. Yesterday, Harry must have eaten 6 dozen chocolate peanut butter cookies, all on his own." Coraline said and Wybie patted Harry's shoulder.

"Sounds like we got something in common, Harry. You are gonna go nuts for these squares." Wybie said, gently guiding him into the house.

"Perhaps you're right." Harry said with a genuine smile. It was rather touching to finally see some common ground between the two boys.

Though one was still left with the question, how did Mrs. Lovat know that Harry loved peanut butter and chocolate, when Wybie didn't even know. And when the children entered her home, why did she scare the wooded area behind them, suspiciously, before closing the door?


End file.
